A springtime spectacle of buttery yellow blooms kissed with magenta, glowing like sunrise on the branch
FEATURES:
- Large tulip-shaped flowers in warm yellow with a rosy purple base
- Blooms later in spring which helps avoid frost damage
- Upright, elegant form perfect for small or large landscapes
- Fragrant blossoms loved by pollinators
- Excellent as a specimen tree for early-season color
- Hardy and reliably blooming
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree; does not fit in a box
Bower & Branch Landscape Design Tip:
Give Sunsation a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil and room to grow vertically. Mulch to keep roots cool and moist, and water deeply during the first seasons while the tree is establishing. Pruning is rarely needed beyond shaping lightly after flowering. Plant Sunsation as a solo star or combine it with other later-blooming magnolias to create a garden that carries color across the entire spring season. Its warm yellow blossoms add a welcome contrast to classic pink and white magnolias.
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Mature Height: 20-25' tall
- Mature Width: 6-8' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 8-10' apart
Sunsation Magnolia
Bower & Branch Trees and Plants
Magnolia x 'Sunsation'
Regular price
Plant with Confidence when choosing Big & Tall Trees and Hedges!
A springtime spectacle of buttery yellow blooms kissed with magenta, glowing like sunrise on the branch
FEATURES:
- Large tulip-shaped flowers in warm yellow with a rosy purple base
- Blooms later in spring which helps avoid frost damage
- Upright, elegant form perfect for small or large landscapes
- Fragrant blossoms loved by pollinators
- Excellent as a specimen tree for early-season color
- Hardy and reliably blooming
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree; does not fit in a box
Bower & Branch Landscape Design Tip:
Give Sunsation a sunny location with rich, well-drained soil and room to grow vertically. Mulch to keep roots cool and moist, and water deeply during the first seasons while the tree is establishing. Pruning is rarely needed beyond shaping lightly after flowering. Plant Sunsation as a solo star or combine it with other later-blooming magnolias to create a garden that carries color across the entire spring season. Its warm yellow blossoms add a welcome contrast to classic pink and white magnolias.
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Mature Height: 20-25' tall
- Mature Width: 6-8' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 8-10' apart
Why plant Sunsation Magnolia?
Outrageous! Sunsation Magnolia will be a traffic-stopper in your landscape in spring. Brakes will squeal as gawkers stop to get a better look. “What kind of tree covers itself in huge (seven-inch) yellow flowers?” they’ll wonder. Sunsation becomes even more fascinating upon closer inspection, when you notice the rosy-pink brushstroke at the base of each creamy yellow petal. The color combo is unexpected but lovely. Unlike many spring-blooming Magnolias, Sunsation rarely gets zapped by late frosts. It blooms later than most, almost always avoiding subfreezing temperatures. You can depend on it to put on a stellar performance!
Dr. August “Augie” Kerr was a passionate plantsman who worked for Louisiana State University, Iowa State, and finally, the USDA, in Beltsville, Maryland. He worked on breeding projects to produce better onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, as well as many ornamental plants. In 1978, Dr. Kerr retired to North Carolina and continued to breed plants on his own time. One of his major interests was Magnolias, and since his new home sat in a frost pocket, he was especially interested in breeding later-flowering types. Sunsation Magnolia was one of his most remarkable achievements to this end. The tree was introduced in 2000.
How to use Sunsation Magnolia in the landscape?
Sunsation waits until it’s safe to flower, which means that the leaves are emerging when the blossoms appear. However, the foliage is not yet fully expanded at that time, so the flashy flowers are not hidden. Your view of the show will be unimpeded!
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-8
How To Plant Sunsation Magnolia
Give your Sunsation Magnolia a sunny spot in a well-drained site, and it will be happy. A rich, organic, slightly acid soil will result in the best growth. Like most Magnolia Trees, Sunsation dislikes both very wet and very dry conditions, so plant it a couple of inches above grade to improve drainage, and supply it with regular water, especially during the first year or two of establishment. A generous layer of mulch will help in regulating soil moisture levels as well as evening out root zone temperatures. Sunsation requires little pruning.
How To Water
Sunsation Magnolia will appreciate regular water during its first few years in the ground and irrigation during long dry spells after it’s established.
How To Prune
Prune late spring to early summer to be able to enjoy the flowers each spring. Not much pruning work required, very low maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
As the Sunsation Magnolia will only be about 6-8 feet wide when full grown, it is safe to say that the root system will only be that wide as well.
Bower & Branch has no concerns with Magnolias in terms of root challenges. As Magnolia roots are large and close to the surface, they give the impression that they will cause damage to foundations, sidewalks, and other features of your hardscape. While their surface roots look daunting, they are, in fact, passive as Magnolia roots are relatively soft and fleshy compared to other trees.
There is little data, other than opinion and myth, that support any concerns with Magnolia roots causing damage and we strongly encourage that you plant with confidence!
2. There is an opinion that it is better not to replant Magnolia trees from one place to the other because if the roots are damaged, it won't survive. What is your opinion and knowledge on this?
Bower & Branch plants Magnolia, harvested from field growing operations, on a regular basis. In all of our years of experience, we have never experienced a failure of planting when moving Magnolia from growing fields to landscapes. We believe this to be a very small concern when the trees are harvested, handled, and planted well! Plant confidently, handle well, and care appropriately and you won't have any issues!
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
Our Guarantees
3-YEAR-TREE GUARANTEE:
Bower & Branch offers a Three-Year Tree Guarantee on all of our trees, sizes X-Large and up. Only the finest and the most experienced growers are awarded the opportunity to grow for Bower & Branch, so we offer the best guarantee available.
If your tree(s) should fail for any reason during the three-year guarantee period, you will receive an online gift card in the amount that you originally spent on the tree.* You can then use this online gift card for any Bower & Branch Purchase.
* Bower & Branch provides online gift cards in the amount of the original purchase price of the tree(s). The amount does not include any additional costs such as delivery, planting, tax, or any other products or services. Online gift cards can be applied towards any Bower & Branch purchase on BowerandBranch.com and have no expiration dates. Bower & Branch does not guarantee tree replacement or availability of any desired product at any time. Cash refunds are not offered. Bower & Branch requires that all original tags and receipts are present when a guarantee request is initiated. The Bower & Branch Three-Year Guarantee only applies to plant material that has been planted in the ground. Container plantings are NOT covered.
At Bower & Branch, we do our best to honor all guarantee fulfillment requests to ensure customer satisfaction. However, we reserve the right to refuse the request if the required guarantee steps were not satisfied. Bower & Branch also reserves the right to deny any guarantee fulfillment request that is made as a result of animal damage, problems with plant hardiness and zone issues, or acts of nature (snow storms, hurricanes, and similar).
Reach out to a Plant Whisperer with any questions:
- Email: plantwhisperers@bowerandbranch.com
- Phone: 866-873-3888
- Or via Online Chat
Customer Reviews
A beautiful, tall healthy tree, far bigger than I anticipated. Looking forward to next spring!
The two Sunsation Magnolia trees arrived on the truck and were bigger than expected around 9-10 feet tall!!!
Great looking healthy specimens. Can’t wait to see them in the Spring.
Hi Neil!
WE can't wait for you to see them in Spring! Those blooms are stunning :)
Thank you for your very kind review - we truly appreciate it! If you ever have any questions regarding your trees, please don't hesitate to reach out! We hope you enjoy them for YEARS to come!
- Bower & Branch Plant Whisperers
